Four hikers found dead after avalanche in central Greece

Four hikers who went missing on Christmas Day have been found dead after being buried by an avalanche in the snow-covered Vardousia Mountains in central Greece.

The bodies of three men and a woman were found Friday evening after large-scale searches in the mountainous region of Fokida, according to Greek public broadcaster ERT.

Fire crews located the partially snow-covered bodies on a steep, inaccessible slope near the summit of Korakas Peak, at an elevation of about 2,000 m (6,561 feet). Rescuers said the group had been swept away by an avalanche.

Authorities said the hikers began their ascent in favorable weather conditions, but conditions quickly deteriorated due to the altitude and terrain of the area.

Vasilis Vathrakogiannis, a spokesman for the Hellenic Fire Brigade, told the BBC that the alarm was raised by a friend of the three men after they failed to return at the expected time.

“The weather conditions were extremely difficult, with low temperatures and poor visibility,” he said, adding that this made it difficult for drones and helicopters to detect anything.

He said a fire crew on the ground later discovered the bodies of the three men and a woman, who turned out to be a friend of one of them and who was not supposed to take part in the climb.

Recovery efforts were underway Saturday, in what officials described as an extremely difficult operation.

One of the bodies was successfully airlifted by helicopter. Efforts continue to move the remaining three to a nearby plateau so they can be recovered using a winch.

Haris Asariotakis, head of the Hellenic rescue team’s mission there, said the location was particularly difficult.

“It’s about three hours from the village of Athanasios Diakos, at an altitude of 2,000 meters,” he said. “If the helicopter cannot reach the area, we will descend on foot in the company of firefighters and mountain guides.”

Additional reporting by Kostas Koukoumakas